Air conditioner apparatus

ABSTRACT

An air conditioning apparatus includes a housing, a cooling module, a cover, and a joint unit. The housing has a first side wall, a second side wall and a base, wherein one side of the first side wall and one side of the second side wall are respectively connected to opposite sides of the base; the first side wall, the second side wall and the base join together to define an accommodating space, a first gate, a second gate and a third gate thereamong; the cooling module is disposed in the accommodating space; the cover is disposed on the first gate; and the joint unit is disposed on the surface of the first side wall, the second side wall, the base or the cover.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims benefit of priority to Taiwan Patent Application No. 105213391, filed on Aug. 31, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present inventive concept relates to air conditioning apparatuses, and, more specifically, to an air conditioning apparatus can be combined with each other and easy to carry.

BACKGROUND

Technology has advanced rapidly nowadays. When choosing technology apparatuses, users tend to choose those which are not only multifunctional but also easy to operate and carry. Therefore, new mobile phones and computers are being designed to be thinner and lighter, even the home appliances follow this trend gradually toward a smaller size and lighter weight.

For air conditioning system, it was first appeared in the market as a large-scale single package air conditioning unit and then split air conditioning systems were developed. Moreover, there is a personal mini air conditioning unit in the market nowadays, for example, a mini air conditioner. A common mini air conditioner comprises a fan, a water tank and a paper curtain all being disposed in a small cubic box. In order to achieve the purpose of output of cold air, water in the water tank of the mini air conditioner is drawn therefrom and flows to a bottom pan, so that part of the paper curtain could be soaked in the water and the paper curtain absorbs water and gets wet. Then the air flow generated by the fan could flow through the wet paper curtain and became cold.

However, although the mini air conditioner described above is a major innovation, it still leaves much to be desired. First of all, due to the design of the common mini air conditioner, the water drawn from the water tank is in the bottom pan, so that the water will be leaking from the bottom pan once the air conditioner is slightly inclined. Therefore, despite the reduction of the size of the common mini air conditioner , it is still inconvenient and not portable. Second, the mini air conditioner in the market is in the faun of a miniaturized machine, so the output of the air flow is not strong enough to cool the air which is a big problem.

Therefore, how to improve the efficacy and the portability of a mini air conditioner is currently the problem desired to be solved in this industry.

SUMMARY

In light of solving the foregoing problems, the present inventive concept provides an air conditioning apparatus, comprising: a housing having a first side wall, a second side wall and a base, wherein one side of the first side wall and one side of the second side wall are respectively connected to opposite sides of the base, and the first side wall, the second side wall and the base join together to define an accommodating space, a first gate, a second gate and a third gate thereamong; a cooling module disposed in the accommodating space; a cover disposed on the first gate; and a joint unit disposed on the surface of the first side wall, the second side wall, the base or the cover.

In an aspect of the present inventive concept, the air conditioning apparatus further comprises an accommodating tank, wherein the accommodating tank is disposed on the inner surface of the first side wall, the second side wall or the base and the accommodating tank has a water inlet and a water outlet in communication with the water inlet.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the accommodating tank further comprises a communicating element disposed at the water inlet or the water outlet to connect the water inlet or the water outlet to a corresponding water outlet or water inlet of another air conditioning apparatus.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the cooling module further comprises: a first conductive element disposed in the accommodating space; a second conductive element disposed on the first conductive element and in contact with the first conductive element; a delivery duct having one end disposed in the accommodating tank and the other end in contact with the second conductive element; a pump connecting to the delivery duct for drawing liquid stored in the accommodating tank, such that the liquid is delivered to the second conductive element via the delivery duct; and an air flow guiding unit disposed at the second gate to provide an air flow passing through the first conductive element.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the air conditioning apparatus further comprises a control module connected to the pump or the air flow guiding unit to control the operation of the pump or the air flow guiding unit.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the air conditioning apparatus further comprises a power module which is configured to provide power to the pump, the air flow guiding unit and the control module.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the air conditioning apparatus further comprises electrical connection unit disposed on the surface of the first side wall, the second side wall, the base or the cover.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the air conditioning apparatus further comprises a carrier which is electrically connected to the control module through the electrical connection unit, wherein the carrier comprises: a carrier body; and a rotation module configured to support the carrier body and rotating the carrier body through 360 degrees.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the air conditioning apparatus further comprises a carrier which is electrically connected to the control module through the electrical connection unit, the carrier further comprises: a carrier body; and a timer disposed on the carrier body to display time or provide an alarm.

In an embodiment, the air conditioning apparatus further comprising a carrier which is electrically connected to the control module through the electrical connection unit. The carrier further comprises: a carrier body; and a communication module disposed on the carrier body to receive control signal outputted from an external communication device and transmitting a communication signal to the control module according to the control signal.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the air conditioning apparatus further comprises a carrier which is electrically connected to the control module through the electrical connection unit. The carrier further comprises: a carrier body; and a multimedia playing unit disposed on the carrier body to play a multimedia message.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the air conditioning apparatus further comprises a carrier which is electrically connected to the control module through the electrical connection unit. The carrier further comprises: a carrier body; and a charge and discharge unit disposed on the carrier body to connect an external power supply to charge the power module.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the cover further comprises: a side cover disposed on the third gate, and the side cover has a louver structure.

In another aspect of the present inventive concept, the joint unit is a magnetically-attracting element or a snap-in element.

In comparison with the prior art, the present inventive concept provides a air conditioning apparatus having a unique structure which is able for two or more air conditioning apparatuses of the present inventive concept to combine with each other, which allows users to increase the number of the air conditioning apparatuses of the present inventive concept as their own required. Consequently, the air conditioning apparatus of the present inventive concept is convenient and economical.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is one schematic view showing a housing of the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 2 is another schematic view showing a housing of the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the combination of the air conditioning apparatuses according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 5 is a rear view showing the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments the present inventive concept.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments the present inventive concept.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functions of the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments the present inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept while referring to the figures. Also, while describing the present general inventive concept, detailed descriptions about related well-known functions or configurations that may diminish the clarity of the points of the present general inventive concept are omitted.

All terms including descriptive or technical terms which are used herein should be construed as having meanings that are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. However, the terms may have different meanings according to an intention of one of ordinary skill in the art, case precedents, or the appearance of new technologies. Also, some terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning of the selected terms will be described in detail in the detailed description of the invention.

Thus, the terms used herein have to be defined based on the meaning of the terms together with the description throughout the specification. Also, when a part “includes” or “comprises” an element, unless there is a particular description contrary thereto, the part can further include other elements, not excluding the other elements. In the following description, terms such as “unit” and “module” indicate a unit to process at least one function or operation, wherein the unit and the block may be embodied as hardware or software or embodied by combining hardware and software. Hereinafter, one or more exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.

It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes shown in the accompanying drawings are to be construed in conjunction with the disclosure of this specification in order to facilitate understanding of the present inventive concept. They are not meant, in any ways, to limit the implementations of the present inventive concept, and therefore have no substantial technical meaning Without affecting the effects created and objectives achieved by the present inventive concept, any modifications, changes or adjustments to the structures, ratio relationships or sizes, are to be construed as fall within the range covered by the technical contents disclosed herein. Meanwhile, terms, such as “on”, “in”, “at”, “inner”, “external”, “one”, “a” and the like, are for illustrative purposes only, and are not meant to limit the range implementable by the present invention. Any changes or adjustments made to their relative relationships, without modifying the substantial technical contents, are also to be construed as within the range implementable by the present invention.

The air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept may includes a housing, a cooling module, a cover, and a joint unit. Referring to FIGS. 1 2 and 5, FIG. 1 shows one schematic view of a housing of the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept. FIG. 2 shows another schematic view showing a housing of the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 1 may comprise a first side wall 11, a second side wall 12 and a base 13, wherein one side of the first side wall 11 and one side of the second side wall 12 are respectively connected to opposite sides of the base 13, and the first side wall 11, the second side wall 12 and the base 13 join together to define an accommodating space 14, a first gate 15, a second gate 16 and a third gate 17 thereamong, and thereby the first side wall 11, the second side wall 12 and the base 13 form a U-shaped structure. A cooling module 2 may be disposed in the accommodating space 14. Further referring to FIG. 5, a cover 3 may be disposed on the first gate 15. A joint unit 4 may be, but not limited to a magnetically-attracting element or a snap-in element. The joint unit 4 may be disposed on the surface of the first side wall 11, the second side wall 12, the base 13 or the cover 3. The number of the joint units 4 can be increased or decreased as required.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the U-shaped structure formed by the first side wall 11, the second side wall 12 and the base 13 may be integrally formed. A accommodating tank 5 may be disposed on the inner surfaces of the first side wall 11, the second side wall 12 or the base 13. The accommodating tank 5 may have a water inlet 51 and a water outlet 52 in communication with the water inlet 51.

The accommodating tank 5 may further comprise a communicating element 53. The communicating element 53 may be disposed at the water inlet 51 or the water outlet 52 of the air conditioning apparatus of the present inventive concept to connect the water inlet 51 or the water outlet 52 to a water outlet or water inlet of another air conditioning apparatus of the present inventive concept correspondingly. Referring to FIG. 3, it is a schematic view showing the combination of the air conditioning apparatuses according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the communicating element 53 may be disposed at the water outlet 52. The function of the communicating element 53 is to make the accommodating tank 5 an open space allowing water flowing therethrough. Two or more air conditioning apparatuses according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept can be combined with each other through the communicating element 53, as shown in FIG. 3. Specifically, when there are plurality of air conditioning apparatuses of the present inventive concept, each of the air conditioning apparatus can not only operate independently, but also be spliced into a combined air conditioning apparatuses structure by the joint units 4 thereof (in the form of magnetic attraction or snap-fitting) Any communicating element 53 of one air conditioning apparatus can be inserted into the water inlet 51 of another air conditioning apparatus, so that the liquid (e.g. water) in the accommodating tank 5 of each air conditioning apparatus can flow to another air conditioning apparatus. The communicating element 53 may rotate around one of its ends as an axis, and thereby it is convenient for users to use or storage the air conditioning apparatus of the present inventive concept. The arrows in FIG. 3 represent the flow direction of the liquid (e.g. water) through the communicating element 53 disposed at the water outlets (not denoted) in each accommodating tank 5 when a plurality of the air conditioning apparatuses are spliced into a combination. Alternatively, according to another embodiment of the present inventive concept, the communicating element 53 may be disposed at the water inlet, and the communicating element 53 may be correspondingly inserted into the water outlet of another air conditioning apparatus.

Referring to both FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept. FIG. 5 is a rear view showing the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept. As shown in FIG. 4, the cooling module 2 may comprise a first conductive element 21, a second conductive element 22, a delivery duct 23, a pump 24 and an air flow guiding unit 25. The first conductive element 21 may be a paper curtain which is able to absorb water or other objects having ability to absorb water. The first conductive element 21 may be disposed in the accommodating space 14. The second conductive element 22 may be a sponge or other objects having ability to absorb water. The second conductive element 22 may be disposed on the first conductive element 21 and in contact with the first conductive element 21. One end of the delivery duct 23 may be inserted into the accommodating tank 5, and the other end may be in contact with the second conductive element 22. The pump 24 may be connected to the delivery duct 23 and used to draw the liquid (e.g. water) stored in the accommodating tank 5, and then the liquid is delivered to the second conductive element 22 via the delivery duct 23. The delivery ducts 23 in the form of arrows in FIG. 4 indicate the flow direction of the liquid in the accommodating tank 5 which is drawn by the pump 24 and then flow through the delivery ducts 23 to the second conductive element 22 and the first conductive element 21.

Because of the natural property of the second conductive element 22, such as sponge, the sponge is fully soaked when the liquid (for example, water) is delivered to the sponge by the pump 24. When the sponge absorbs water, the underlying first conductive element 21 (such as paper curtain) will draw the moisture from the sponge. By the weight of water itself and capillary action, the paper curtain can be gradually soaked from top to bottom to avoid absorbing too much water in a short time by the paper curtain which may result in excess water dripping down to the bottom of the air conditioning apparatus, thereby causing short-circuit of the internal circuit or water spilling out of the air conditioning apparatus. Therefore, the air conditioning apparatus according to the present inventive concept is different from that of commercially available products that need to dispose a bottom pan for the excess water. Moreover, in some embodiments of the present inventive concept, the cooling module 2 may further comprise an air flow guiding unit 25 which may be disposed at the second gate 16 (as shown in FIG. 5). The air flow guiding unit 25 may be but not limited to, a fan, which is capable of generating an air flow passing through the soaked first conductive element 21, and thereby the air flow gets humidified and then cool.

Referring to FIG. 6, it is a front view showing the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept. As shown in FIG. 6, the cover 3 may further comprise a side cover 31 disposed on the third gate 17. The side cover 31 may have a louver structure or other structures capable of ventilation or air diversion. The cool air flow formed by passing through the first conductive member 21 can be outputted to the external environment through the side cover 31.

Referring to FIG. 7, it is a block diagram showing the functions of the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept. As shown in FIG. 7, the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept may optionally comprise a control module 6, a power module 7 and electrical connection unit 8. The control module 6 may be connected to the pump 24 or the air flow guiding unit 25 to control the amount of the liquid drawn from the accommodating tank 5 by the pump 24 or to manipulate the air flow generated by the air flow guiding unit 25. The power module 7 is configured to provide power to the pump 24, the air flow guiding unit 25 and the control module 6. The electrical connection unit 8 may be disposed on the surface of the first side wall 11, the second side wall 12, the base 13 or the cover 3. The electrical connection unit 8 may be electrically connected to the control module 6. When the air conditioning apparatuses are combined with each other, the electrical connection units 8 of each air conditioning apparatus are also electrically connected to each other. The power signals and the control signals of each air conditioning apparatus can be transmitted between each air conditioning apparatus, and thereby the control modules 6 of each air conditioning apparatus are also electrically connected with each other. Therefore users are able to control synchronously the combined air conditioning apparatuses to improve the cooling efficacy.

Referring to both FIG. 4 and FIG. 7 together further. The air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept may further comprise a carrier 9. The carrier 9 may comprise a carrier body 91 and a rotation module 92 (as shown in FIG. 4). Users can dispose the housing 1 of the air conditioning apparatus on the carrier body 91 to rotate the carrier body 91 through 360 degrees by activating the rotation module 92. In other words, the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept can blow air over a wide-range of area

Furthermore, in some other embodiments, the carrier 9 may optionally comprise a timer 93, a communication module 94, a multimedia playing unit 95 and a charge and discharge unit 96 disposed in the carrier body 91 (as shown in FIG. 7). The timer 93 may display the time or provide an alarm. The communication module 94 may receive control signals from an external communication device and transmitting a communication signal to the control module 6 according to the control signal. That is, users can remotely control the air conditioning apparatus by their mobile phone. In addition to remote control of the air conditioning apparatus to cool the air, users can also remotely control the multimedia playing unit 95 to play the multimedia message. The charge and discharge unit 96 may be charged by an external power supply. Then, the charge and discharge unit 96 may provide power to and charge the power module 7 of the air conditioning apparatus. Besides, the charge and discharge unit 96 may further provide power to the rotation module 92.

In summary, the air conditioning apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept can cool the air by the cooling module disposed in the housing Besides, according to the present inventive concept, a plurality of the air conditioning apparatuses according to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept can be combined by the joint units disposed on the housing. The structure of the air conditioning apparatus contributes to the technical features thereof, such as electrical connection and accommodating tank communication to each of the air conditioning apparatuses when a plurality of the air conditioning apparatuses are combined. As a result, the air conditioning apparatuses of the inventive concept can form a relatively large-scale air conditioning apparatus. Moreover, users can choose several functions of the coupled carrier as required. The air conditioning apparatus of the present inventive concept is not only more convenient to carry but also more energy-efficient.

The various exemplary embodiments as described herein are only used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and should not be construed as to limit the present invention in any way. The exemplary embodiments can be modified by those with ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the following appended claims. The scope of the present general inventive concept should be specified as the appended claims. 

We claim:
 1. An air conditioning apparatus, comprising: a housing having a first side wall, a second side wall and a base, wherein one side of the first side wall and one side of the second side wall are respectively connected to opposite sides of the base, and the first side wall, the second side wall and the base join together to define an accommodating space, a first gate, a second gate and a third gate thereamong; a cooling module disposed in the accommodating space; a cover disposed on the first gate; and a joint unit disposed on the surface of the first side wall, the second side wall, the base or the cover.
 2. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an accommodating tank, wherein the accommodating tank is disposed on the inner surface of the first side wall, the second side wall or the base, and the accommodating tank has a water inlet and a water outlet in communication with the water inlet.
 3. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein the accommodating tank further comprises: a communicating element disposed at the water inlet or the water outlet for connecting the water inlet or the water outlet to a corresponding water outlet or water inlet of another air conditioning apparatus.
 4. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cooling module further comprises: a first conductive element disposed in the accommodating space; a second conductive element disposed on the first conductive element and in contact with the first conductive element; a delivery duct having one end disposed in the accommodating tank and the other end in contact with the second conductive element; a pump connecting to the delivery duct for drawing liquid stored in the accommodating tank, such that the liquid is delivered to the second conductive element via the delivery duct; and an air flow guiding unit disposed at the second gate to provide an air flow passing through the first conductive element.
 5. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a control module connected to the pump or the air flow guiding unit to control the operation of the pump or the air flow guiding unit.
 6. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a power module which is configured to provide power to the pump, the air flow guiding unit and the control module.
 7. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 6, further comprising electrical connection unit disposed on the surface of the first side wall, the second side wall, the base or the cover.
 8. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a carrier which is electrically connected to the control module through the electrical connection unit, wherein the carrier comprises: a carrier body; and a rotation module configured to support the carrier body and rotating the carrier body through 360 degrees.
 9. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a carrier which is electrically connected to the control module through the electrical connection unit, the carrier further comprises: a carrier body; and a timer disposed on the carrier body to display time or provide an alarm.
 10. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a carrier which is electrically connected to the control module through the electrical connection unit, and wherein the carrier further comprises: a carrier body; and a communication module disposed on the carrier body to receive control signal outputted from an external communication device and transmitting a communication signal to the control module according to the control signal.
 11. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a carrier which is electrically connected to the control module through the electrical connection unit, and wherein the carrier further comprises: a carrier body; and a multimedia playing unit disposed on the carrier body to play a multimedia message.
 12. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a carrier which is electrically connected to the control module through the electrical connection unit, and wherein the carrier further comprises: a carrier body; and a charge and discharge unit disposed on the carrier body to connect an external power supply to charge the power module.
 13. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cover further comprises: a side cover disposed on the third gate, and wherein the side cover has a louver structure.
 14. The air conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the joint unit is a magnetically-attracting element or a snap-in element. 